Beef "Tamales"



Photo by Lavalady

By: jenn  "These are just like the tamales my Abuelita used to make for special occasions. This recipe makes a lot, but if you're going to go to all the trouble of making tamales from scratch, you might as well have a party! You will need butchers' twine and a large pot with a steamer basket to make these. May be frozen up to 6 months in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags. To reheat, thaw in refrigerator and then steam or microwave until heated through." 




Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless chuck roast
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 (8 ounce) packages dried corn husks
• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• salt to taste
• 3 cups lard
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 9 cups masa harina

Directions

1. Place beef and garlic in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Let simmer for 3 1/2 hours, until beef is tender and shreds easily. When beef is done, remove from pot, reserving 5 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Allow meat to cool slightly, and shred finely with forks.
2. Meanwhile, place corn husks in a large container and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 3 hours, until soft and pliable. May need to weight down with an inverted plate and a heavy can.
3. Toast ancho chiles in a cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in ground chiles, cumin seeds, ground cumin, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar and salt. Stir shredded beef into skillet and cover. Let simmer 45 minutes.
5. Place lard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add masa harina and beat at low speed until well mixed. Pour in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough.
6. Drain water from corn husks. One at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale and tie with a piece of butchers' twine.
7. Place tamales in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water for approximately one hour, until masa is firm and holds its shape. Make sure steamer does not run out of water. Serve immediately, allowing each person to unwrap their own tamales. Allow any leftovers (still in husks) to cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator.

   

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Tres Leche "Sponge Cake Soaked in 3 Kinds of Milk"

By: Marti   "A light sponge cake soaked with a mixture of three kinds of milk. This is the BEST Tres Leches recipe I have. It is a very good cake recipe and the cake should be very moist." 

Photo by Sonny

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 9 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 9 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well after each addition. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until whites form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter using a rubber spatula. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the 2 cups heavy cream, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. Pour the mixture over the cake until it wont absorb any more. You may have 1/3 to 1/4 left over. That's okay.
5. Combine the whipped cream and sugar, spread over soaked cake. Refrigerate cake until serving, Pour leftover milk mixture onto plates and swirl in jam if desired, before setting cake on the plates.

 

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White Rice

Rice is a staple food on the Latin Caribbean islands. When you are looking for a rice dish that won't overshadow your other dishes, a simple plain white rice is acceptable and it's really simple to make.

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup long grain rice
• pinch of salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring the two cups of water to boil in a sauce pan.
2. Add the rice and salt.

3. Allow to boil for about 1 minute. Stir once to prevent sticking.
4. Cover the sauce pan with an appropriate fitting lid that does not have an exhaust hole.
5. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
Tip: Do not lift the cover until the time is up. The trapped steam cooks the rice. If you let it escape, your rice will not cook properly.
Serves: 4 half-cup portions.

The other option to making white rice is to use a rice cooker like the Black & Decker RC3303 3-Cup Automatic Rice Cooker.  This makes the process simple, avoids buring the rice and you can let it cook on its own while you continue to prepare your meal.

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